Daily encouragement in your Christian walk until, as the Apostle Paul writes,"Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19, NIV).

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Are You the Real Deal?

By Allen White

I
plan (according to Jesus' plan) to send Timothy to you very soon so he can
bring back all the news of you he can gather. Oh, how that will do my heart
good! I have no one quite like Timothy. He is loyal and genuinely concerned for
you. Most people around here are looking out for themselves, with little
concern for the things of Jesus. But you know yourselves that Timothy's the
real thing. He's been a devoted son to me as together we've delivered the
Message. As soon as I see how things are going to fall out for me here, I plan
to send him off. And then I'm hoping and praying to be right on his heels.Philippians 2:19-24 (MSG)

How can you
tell who is the “real deal”? It’s certainly easier to tell who’s not. Ever had
a call from a long lost friend who has a tremendous business opportunity for
you? It might seem that your potential investment is more important than your
relationship.

In fact,
when we meet someone like Timothy, it’s a little hard to believe. In this day
and age to find someone who is genuinely interested in the welfare of others
without regard to his or her own well-being is unfortunately rare.

Now that we’ve
talked about everyone else, how about you? Are you the same on the outside as
you are on the inside? What do you feel you need to hide from other people?
Secrecy is a dark trap for the soul. What needs to come to light in your life
today? To be genuinely weak is more powerful than pretending to be
superficially strong.